Overcome Writer's Block & Write With Confidence

Welcome to our workshop on the psychology of writing. We'll be addressing issues such as writer's block, feeling overwhelmed by the writing process, the pace at which we become better writers, and how to write with confidence, knowing that we are on track with how we should be writing.

Before we go any further, let's make sure you REALLY want to be a writer -- and that you're doing this for the right reasons! This lesson centers around a humorous, true story about a guy I met at a party who told me he wanted to write a book. Only his plan for how he was going to "write" his book was... ahem... not something that struck me as a good idea.

If you've made it to this lesson, then you have survived the previous "Do You REALLY Want to Be a Writer?" lesson and answered that yes ... you do ... even though sometimes, the writing / editing process might drive you a little crazy. So now, let's talk about the different ways you can work through this course so you will have greater success.

"Writer's block" is often seen as an inability to write, but that's not what it really is. What stories are you telling yourself?

When we're not feeling well -- physically or emotionally -- writing might not feel good. And when we write under these circumstances, it is easy to convince ourselves our writing isn't good. But that's not always true. Here's how to keep writing, even when you're not feeling good about what you are writing.

Have you ever wished people would describe you as a "gifted" writer. This lesson explains how to make that happen. We also confront our "inner bully," that bratty voice in our head that tells us we're not good enough, or our writing isn't good enough.

We expand on the concept of our inner bully and how to deal with him or her. We also look at writer's jealousy -- the ways we compare our writing to other writers' work, and how that can be a positive or negative thing.

The term "shitty first drafts" was coined by Anne Lamott in her groundbreaking book on the psychology of writing, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Her chapter with that title has helped thousands of writers get back on track. In this lesson, we take this concept one step farther. There's something about our favorite writers we offen don't stop to think about.

In this lesson, we discover how we can harness the Law of Inertia, and get our writing moving again when it stalls.

Stories that dredge up powerful emotions in us when we write them are likely to have the same impact on readers -- and for readers, that's a good thing. But emotionally charged topics can be hard for us to write about. Here's a story about how I confronted this issue when writing my first book, and the strategy that worked for me to get a difficult chapter written.

Once you publish something, it's out there! We can't make people un-read what they've read. This can conjure up anxiety in writers in trying to determine how much to reveal about themselves.

Writers have busy and observant minds, so it's not surprising we get overwhelmed with the writing process at times. But how can we deal with that? In this lesson, we'll look at three of the most common types of writer's ovewhelm. In the three lessons that follow, we talk about ways to fix them.

We think faster than we write -- always. So our stories don't always come out in written form the way they play out in our mind. This lesson discusses how to keep up with your lightning-fast mind and get those thoughts onto the page.

Some stories get big. Too big. They have so many details, so many tangents, and we struggle to keep them streamlined and easy to read. Here's how to deal with all of these tangents and sub-stories.

When we work on really big writing projects, such as books, the mere size can seem daunting. Here's how to get those big projects completed, without feeling overwhelmed in the process.

Is your list of stories, articles, or books that you want to write absurdly long? Do you ever wonder how you'll get all of those stories written? Idea overload is another common writing conundrum.

When our minds get foggy, we need to clear them out.

It's easy to talk about how perfectionism bogs us down and stifles both our creativity and our productivity. But we can't go to the opposite extreme either. We have to care about the quality of our work if we are serious about being great writers. So where is the middle ground? How do we decide when to keep polishing and when to send something we've written off into the world?

This lesson includes a personal story about how I went on a writing holiday in Laos, learned how to be less of a perfectionist, and became a better writer in the process.

Our writing skills are always evolving, and improving over time. In this lesson, we explore how being at peace with where our skills are at now will help our writing keep getting better.

Occasionally, writers hit "plateaus" in which they stop improving and struggle to get published. This is particularly common among writers who are just getting started, trying to break into freelancing or get published in other ways. Sometimes, the problem is that we're not exactly sure what we are doing "wrong." When your progress has stalled, how can you kick-start it and fix what isn't working?

An addendum to our lesson from Laos: After I returned from that trip, I found a way to write more in less time and earn more money as a freelance writer.

We've established that perfectionism hurts good writing in many ways. So how do you become a successful IMperfectionist?

Perfectionism is the enemy of productivity. The world is waiting to read what you write! So let's get them out there!

A review of what we've covered in this workshop... and what's next.

Coming soon: Interactive bonus videos and free live chats! But I need your help! Here's how you can reach me and find out about the other courses and one-on-one writing coach services I offer.